


Mentor

by ashleybenlove



Category: Mulan (1998)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community: disney_kink, Gen, Mentors, Proving yourself, Swearing, determined mulan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 06:10:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14764127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashleybenlove/pseuds/ashleybenlove
Summary: Mulan does accept the Emperor's job as a member of his council. Chi-Fu has to help her learn her duties.





	Mentor

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this anonymously in January 2013 on the Disney Kink Meme for the prompt: "Mulan/Chi-Fu. AU. Mulan accepts the emperor's job offer and becomes a member of his council. Chi-Fu is appointed to help her learn her duties, which is torment when one accounts for their dislike of each other. Slowly, through her hard work and iron-willed determination to succeed, Chi-Fu is reminded of the toil he'd had to face to get to his position and begins to respect her. Begins to like her even. 
> 
> Whether she warms up to him as well or it remains a one-sided deal is up to the author, but it would be nice to get some kind of apology out of Chi-Fu for his past behavior, however indirect."

The Emperor of China offered her a job as a member of his Imperial Council. 

Her initial answer had been “With all due respect, your Excellency. I have been away from home long enough. I accept the position, but I would like to go home for a time before I start.”

After she went back home for a month to be with her family, Mulan returned to the Imperial City with an escort as mandated by the Emperor of Yao, Ling, and Chien Po, led by General Li Shang. 

They all had a big dinner with her family the night before she left (Chien Po helped cook). Her parents and grandmother were pleased to meet the soldiers and Shang who had contributed to saving China.

They had been eating happily when Shang told her, “So, I, uh, heard that Chi-Fu is supposed to help you learn your duties.”

That was somebody she and Shang both mutually agreed they did not like.

Chi-Fu had said Shang was not fit to be Captain, and had among other things expected Mulan to not speak in a man’s presence, called her a treacherous snake, had expected Shang to kill Mulan, that as a woman she would not be worth anything— a creature not worth protecting. 

And yet she had a military escort to go back to the Imperial City for her new job where she could provide for her family. 

Mulan visibly cringed when Shang told her what he had heard. 

“I hope it is just a rumor,” Mulan said.

“I understand how you must feel, Fa Mulan,” Shang told her softly.

She remembered how as-Ping she had told Shang after overhearing an argument between him and Chi-Fu, that she would hold Chi-Fu while he punched.

“Chi-Fu is not en easy man to get along with. He is a pompous ass,” he whispered. He blanched when he realized he said the last word, but Mulan said, “Do not worry.”

On the trip to the Imperial City, Yao had seriously told her: “If that jerk Chi-Fu acts like an ass to you, lemme know so I can straighten him out.”

Chien Po and Ling had agreed explicitly and while Shang did not say as much, she knew she had his support. 

Having the support of the men she served with as well as her family (and her family guardians) meant a lot to her. It helped to know that given that she figured the likelihood of having to deal with Chi-Fu was very high.

Once they arrived, she said her goodbyes to her military escort (or rather, her friends), wishing them luck on their own endeavors, before they sent her off to the palace.

She met up with the Emperor on her first day. 

“Your Excellency, Fa Mulan reporting for duty,” Mulan said as she genuflected.

“Fa Mulan, wonderful to see you. I trust your visit back home went well.”

“Yes, sir, it did,” she replied. 

“Wonderful. And I hope your trip back to the Imperial City was an enjoyable one especially with your escort.”

“Oh, yes, sir. Thank you for the familiar escort,” Mulan replied. 

“You’re welcome, my child,” the Emperor replied

He cleared his throat and said, “Now, Fa Mulan, you begin your journey as a member of my council. I created a position just for you. You are the first woman on this council, a great honor, indeed.”

“Thank you for the honor, Your Excellency,” Mulan said.

“Since you are so new to this job, I will be appointing another member to help you,” the Emperor told her. He then spoke loudly, “Chi-Fu!”

As Mulan watched Chi-Fu come into the room, she tried her best not to show on her face that she detested that man. She hoped that her face showed how she was determined to prove that she was worth something, that she could succeed.

“Fa Mulan, we meet again,” Chi-Fu said, stiffly. “Last time I saw you, you blew up a tower of this palace.”

“Thank you,” Mulan replied.

They both stared at each other, eyes narrowed.

Chi-Fu exhaled after a moment and said, “I will help Fa Mulan learn her duties, Your Majesty.”

“Good,” Emperor said.

“Fa Mulan, come with me,” Chi-Fu said, in a clipped tone. 

“Yes, sir,” Mulan replied stiffly, following him.

On her first day, Chi-Fu gave her a stack of files of information on the other council members that were also on the Emperor’s council that she would work with. She was expected to learn and memorize for several hours a day until a currently unknown date that Chi-Fu would choose and expect her to pass an examination about the information.

He also expected her to keep a clipboard, parchment, and a writing utensil nearby at all times, which she decided to keep in a bag that she wore, so as to keep in on her person and allow her to write things down as quickly as possible and without scrambling, which if she scrambled or looked like she was hurried or not efficiently, Chi-Fu would huff and make annoyed noises.

Mulan was expected to work twelve hour days, six days a week. She used her day off to do things for studying things that she had been assigned by Chi Fi. 

The exam about her fellow council members took place four and a half months after she started her position, and she passed with one hundred percent. She had been hellbent to pass that examination. 

Chi-Fu noticed.

Even before that examination, she was able to recite facts about the people that she shared the council room with, after about two months.

She also had a lot of desk work to do: from filing to dictations to having to learn how to speak in council meetings. He had her read _The Art of War_ and learn about politics, history, and trade in relation to China as well as information about the countries and kingdoms that China interacted with.

All of this in the first six months.

It was a lot of work and a lot to do. 

But she wanted to succeed. She wanted to make her family and friends proud. She wanted to make herself proud. She wanted to make the Emperor proud. She wanted to prove Chi-Fu wrong: that she _was_ worth something.

Chi-Fu made it difficult for her, probably purposely because of their acrimonious relationship, was what Mulan figured. But because Chi-Fu had been in her place long ago, and he knew the toil that was involved in the positions of working as the Emperor’s council. And she was doing a tremendously great job. 

She worked so hard to have the know-how and the skills to do a great job as a councilperson. 

In meetings she was well spoken. She was helpful and great ideas.

And she did a great job. 

Chi-Fu found as time passed, he found himself thinking that Mulan was a great councilperson. 

Well deserving of the position, as the savior of the country he so loved.

Eight months after she had gotten the job (nine months after she saved China), as they walked together to a council meeting, Chi-Fu took a deep breath and said carefully, “Fa Mulan, you are doing a great job. I am proud of you.”

“Thank you, Chi-Fu. I appreciate that,” Mulan said. “You’ve been a great mentor.”


End file.
